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Written by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, July 6, 2021

In the middle of California’s drought, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is meeting with landowners, tribal representatives, and agencies to assess resource concerns and offer assistance to farmers and ranchers, as well as forest and tribal land managers. Programs through NRCS include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the newest pilot program, EQIP-Conservation Incentive Contracts (EQIP-CIC).

“Although we still have CDC coronavirus-related health precautions in place for the safety of our customers and employees, we strongly encourage you to…

Written by on Monday, June 28, 2021
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Shroomshot

Is there such a thing as a magic elixir? We think so! Check out new CCOF members and brothers Shawn and Justin Dunn’s Shroomshot, a delicious, living probiotic elixir,  hand-crafted with pure extracts from the highest quality medicinal mushrooms.

With a passion and curiosity for foraging and some curiosity, brothers Shawn and Justin discovered the astounding medicinal properties of the fungi kingdom. It is now their mission to bring mushrooms to the world in ain the most fun, delicious, and impactful way.

Using extracts from the fruiting bodies of the lion’s mane and turkey…

Written by Noah Lakritz on Monday, June 28, 2021
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North Coast Chapter Meeting

On Thursday, June 17 the CCOF North Coast Chapter hosted their annual chapter meeting at Preston Farm and Winery in Healdsburg, California. The meeting marked a return to in-person meetings for CCOF chapters after a year of virtual Zoom meetings. Current leadership for the chapter includes board member Genevieve Albers from Traditional Medicinals, President Grayson Hartley and Secretary Ken Blair from Preston Vineyards, and Vice President Laura Deyermond from Newton Vineyards.

A number of local CCOF members joined the meeting, which included introductions for new chapter leadership,…

Written by Jane Sooby on Monday, June 28, 2021

The Organic Trade Association’s 2021 Organic Industry Survey reports that sales of organic products—including food and nonfood categories—grew by 12.4 percent in 2020 to total $61.9 billion in sales nationwide.

Citing market shifts that accompanied the closure of restaurants and food services due to the pandemic, OTA reported that online and grocery sales of fresh produce and staple foods—many of them completely selling out at times—drove organic food sales to a new high of $56.5 billion. OTA explains, “The primary reason organic purchases skyrocketed was because people have come…

Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, June 21, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 18, 2021) -- Previewing his path forward for organic and pledging to elevate the significance and importance of organic agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the Annual Membership Meeting of the Organic Trade Association on Wednesday.

Speaking live at the virtual meeting to over 250 members of the trade association, Vilsack laid out a forward-looking agenda for the organic sector, including a vow to resolve the ongoing issue over USDA’s failure to implement a critical and fully vetted organic animal welfare…

Written by Jane Sooby on Monday, June 21, 2021

Farmers, ranchers, nonindustrial forestland operators, and tribes are eligible to receive funding from a pilot program offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that provides technical assistance and pays for adopting new conservation practices and maintaining existing conservation work. 

Applications must be filled out in-person at an NRCS office by July 12, so make an appointment today if you’re interested in…

Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, June 21, 2021
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roadmap2

Hot off the press: The Critical To-Do List for Organic Agriculture, published by the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. This list of 46 recommendations spells out how the president can support organic and complements the recommendations for the state of California in CCOF’s Roadmap to an Organic California.  

The president’s to-do list includes thoughtful tasks to improve the governance of organic and bolster organic in …

Written by Noah Lakritz on Monday, June 21, 2021

On June 15, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced additional federal aid for agriculture producers through the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. This program will fill gaps in the USDA's relief funds through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Of the $6 billion in new funds that will become available through programs implemented in the next 60 days, up to $20 million will go to organic cost-share assistance, including funds for producers who are transitioning to organic. This boost in cost-share…

Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, June 14, 2021

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress to help America recover from COVID-19, includes $5 billion in farm debt relief for producers who are members of socially disadvantaged groups that have historically been subject to discrimination and underserved by U.S. government programs. Black/African American , American Indian, Alaskan Native, Latinx, Asian American, and Pacific Islander producers who have farm loans through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or private lenders with FSA guarantees are eligible for relief.

Socially disadvantaged farmers tend to operate…

Written by ManualMigrator on Monday, June 14, 2021
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BradyKazmier

Interested in getting involved in organic agriculture? Brady Kazmier, Future Organic Farmers grantee, urges, “Do it. Dive in and don’t look back. Education in organic agriculture is extremely extensive, and the possibilities are near endless. The amount of good you can do is astonishing. We can bring upon a revolution to be better to our planet through organic agriculture.” And that is exactly what Kazmier intends to do.

Kazmier grew up in Montana, and while he was surrounded by rangeland and agriculture, his family worked in the tech industry, so the food system wasn’t a career…

Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, June 14, 2021

Savvy food makers who specialize in jarring up tasty seasonal goods can be a huge help when you come back from market with hundreds of pounds of leftover tomatoes. Processing excess produce not only keeps it out of the compost pile but also saves the money and hard work that went into growing and picking the crop. With some forethought, you can turn leftover produce into a shelf-stable product that can be sold all winter and beyond.

What Crops to Use

What crop are you known for growing? Do you have a following for growing the sweetest dry-farmed tomatoes or the crunchiest…

Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, June 14, 2021

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress to help America recover from COVID-19, includes $5 billion in farm debt relief for producers who are members of socially disadvantaged groups that have historically been subject to discrimination and underserved by U.S. government programs. Black/African American , American Indian, Alaskan Native, Latinx, Asian American, and Pacific Islander producers who have farm loans through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or private lenders with FSA guarantees are eligible for relief.

Socially disadvantaged farmers tend to operate…

Written by Jane Sooby on Monday, June 7, 2021

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is accepting public comment through June 15 on the funding rules for its new Conservation Agriculture Planning Grant Program.  Please consider making a comment using the points outlined below.

An outcome of CCOF’s advocacy for CDFA support for organic farmers in its Climate Smart Agriculture programs, this new program received $20 million in Governor Gavin Newsom’s May revision of the state budget.

As proposed, the planning grant program would offer funding for 11 Conservation Activity Plans (CAPs) developed by the…

Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, June 7, 2021

Whether they milk cows or raise livestock for meat, ongoing drought conditions in the state have forced ranchers and dairy farmers to downsize their herds as they face soaring costs to sustain their animals.

In regions such as Marin and Sonoma counties, where farmers and ranchers rely heavily on pasture and natural rainfall to grow feed crops and provide drinking water for their livestock, the duration of the current dry spell has been particularly hard.

The U.S. Drought Monitor has classified large swaths of the region as under "exceptional drought"—the highest level of…

Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, June 7, 2021
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Forager-Project-Cashew-Milk-Cropped

Stephen Williamson, co-Founder of Forager Project, recently spoke with Michelle Courtright, agriculture and food writer based out of Austin, Texas. In the interview with Courtright, Williamson says, “I think people should embrace the idea that they might want to really think about where their food comes from, how it’s made, and who are the people behind it.” We couldn’t agree more!

Plant-based food company Forager Project recently invested $10,000 in CCOF’s Future Organic Farmer program. A full 100 percent of this donation will support the next generation of organic producers, who…